


A Chance Encounter

by CraftyJack, Oreofignewtonsblazko



Series: The Travelers Guild [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Metroid Series
Genre: Gen, The Travelers Guild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-11 13:02:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10465647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CraftyJack/pseuds/CraftyJack, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oreofignewtonsblazko/pseuds/Oreofignewtonsblazko
Summary: The first story that started off The Travelers Guild.Samus Aran, a bounty hunter, is caught by Kovarian and subjected to experiments in order to obtain the last sample of Metroid DNA that is residing somewhere in her body. Eventually Aran escapes, only to find herself at the mercy of a man known only as Jack Ripper, who lives with a wolf in the middle of a cabin in Wisconsin, during the late 2000s.





	1. Things that go BOOM in the night

A blast resounded through the trees as a ship crash landed in the middle of a dense forest. Samus coughed as she stumbled out of the wreckage into the snow, her clothes torn and tattered. One of her arms looked twisted and gnarled in the moonlight as she tried to get as far away from the site as possible. Somebody had to have heard the noise, and she was certain that she could not explain who she was or even what had happened. She herself barely knew what was going on. As she walked, she tried to make sense of what had happened, to keep her mind off the pain in her left leg, which she was certain she had broken. She remembered that she had gotten wind of a Chozo living alone in an outer sector of space, so she had decided to investigate to see if the information was legitimate. She knew that there was a possibility of it being a trap, and had prepared accordingly, but there was no way for her to have been prepared for what she encountered. As soon as she had left her ship, a large force surrounded her.

Under normal circumstances, she would have easily taken them out, but as she lined up the shot for the first wave, something grasped her from behind, and drained her power armor within seconds, reducing it to a glorified paperweight. Something punctured the suits neck.

as Samus drifted off into unconsciousness, the last thing she heard was, "Mission accomplished. We have the subject. Preparing her for transport now."

Her next memories were not nearly as pleasant. After a few days in captivity, she had figured out a few things by paying attention to the people speaking around her.

"She is the only person in the galaxy with the DNA template of Metroids. however, most of it has been suppressed by her original DNA, or the sections that the Chozo spliced. Either way, we cannot access the complete template, not with her as she is now," she had heard a male say. He sounded like a doctor of some kind.

"As she is now?" she heard a female say. Her tone was cold.

"It is possible that with a few- ahem- processes that we could induce enough of a cellular change that would bring the repressed segments to become dominant. However, this process has resulted in some, alterations to the subject. And we have not found a way to undo those, alterations. If there is something you need from the subject as they are now, I would suggest getting it before the process starts," said the male.

"All we need is the base Metroid within her. The rest is useless to us," said the female.

"Very well, we will begin at once Miss Kovarian," said the male.

After that, she had trouble listening to more conversations, as day by day she felt her gut wrench after... whatever they had done to her. She began to notice immediately the changes, her skin beginning to be replaced by scale like objects, with the skin on her cheeks becoming more like a piece of bendable plastic. Her left hand eventually lost two fingers, and the remaining ones turned into sharp fang-like objects. But with every passing day, she felt something else, something that she bet that they hadn't counted on. There was nobody else alive who had seen first-hand the powers of the Metroids, their resilience to modern weapons, their speed and strength, and most of all, the ability to drain life. _If their plan is to turn most of me into a Metroid, then that means eventually I should be able to access at least one of the Metroids abilities,_ she had thought.

And she was right.

After her hand had completely been changed, she soon learned that she could drain the life out of whatever organic she touched with it, reducing the food she had been served one night into dust. Thats when she waited for the moment to strike, when the guards entered her cell to take her away. The second one of them had entered, she grabbed him by the throat with inhuman speed with her mutated hand. A few seconds later he fell to the ground dead. She wasted no time dispatching the other three men and taking their weapons and clothes. She might have been weakened by the procedures, but after absorbing the lives of the guards, she felt strong again. She considered for a moment going and shooting Kovarian, and stopping the whole operation right then, but decided that escaping would be a much better option. She would deal with Kovarian another day, when she had her power suit and the Federation to help her. A few minutes later, the alarm sounded. As she ran, she encountered another group of guards, one of which was happy to tell her where the ship hangar was after seeing his friends turn to dust. She managed to make it in mostly one piece to a ship. As she looked at the console, she took a few guesses as to what operated the ship, and within a few minutes figured out how to at least turn it on and go forward.

After that, she managed to get out in mostly one piece, until a turret hit something as she entered warp speed, probably an engine, and sent her careening down to the planet below; lightyears away from the ship where she had been held captive. As she walked through the forest, she noticed a wolf walking between the trees. If worse came to worse, she wasn't sure if she could take it on, not right then. It caught sight of her, and they stared for a good minute, neither creature looking away. Then it turned around, and left her alone.

Samus decided to go the opposite direction of the wolf, not wanting to press her luck. Eventually, she noticed a clearing, where an old cabin was sitting by a small ravine with a river running through it. As she went up to the window, she looked inside to see if there was anybody around. _It must be abandoned, or maybe the owner visits it during summer. Either way, nobody is in there, and if I stay here I won't last times Ill the morning,_ she thought, feeling the cold throughout her body. The door was unlocked as well, so she went inside.

The house was fairly open, with the kitchen being just a short hallway with cupboards and appliances leading into the living room, where a dining table sat next to a large window surveying the front lawn. To the side was a couch and a few chairs in a half circle around a fireplace, which had an odd looking crystal sitting on the mantle, next to two mounted handguns, Glocks probably.

She grabbed a blanket and lay down on the couch, intending on warming herself before she treated her injuries. In reality however, she fell asleep on the couch until the morning.

"You know, I've seen a lot of weird stuff before, but kiddo, you've hit the top 5 on my list," she heard a man say.

As she got up with a start, she remembered to hide her deformed hand underneath the blanket she was using. A man about 6'4 with golden eyes, middle length brown hair, wearing grey sweatpants and a green shirt was standing before her, taking a bite out of a pancake he was holding. He was relatively skinny looking, and he had a slight slouch.

"Look, I'm not quite sure why you're here, but I've got plenty of pancakes left if you want some," he said gesturing to the kitchen.

"I-I'd like that very much Mister..." she said, thrown off by his lack of reaction.

"Alright, I'll get a plate. And by the way, my names not Mister. Just call me Jack," he said, before heading into the kitchen.


	2. Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samus encounters a friendly man who calls himself Jack, who lives alone with his wolf companion. But as she spends more time with him, Jack may not be who, or what, she thought he was

Samus looked at Jack, with a curious expression. She was trying to figure out why he was treating her like an old friend, instead of an intruder who had broken into his house.

"Actually, I've got one question for ya," Jack said, as he flipped a stack of pancakes onto a plate. "Given the size of the wreck in the woods, I'm betting you got banged up. Do you need patched up?" he asked.

It took a few seconds for Samus to register what he had said, before answering "Uh, yeah... I'm nearly positive my leg is broken" she said, showing him her leg.

Jack raised an eyebrow and said "Yeah, that looks pretty cracked to me. I'll get some bandages." He set the plate down on the table, then headed into a side room on the other end of the kitchen. The front door opened and closed with a * **slam** * as a grey wolf walked into the living room. Samus froze, unsure as to what exactly was going on. "Don't mind furball, he won't bite!" shouted Jack. "By the way, where DID we keep the first aid box?" he asked.

Samus looked around, trying to see the other person he was talking to.

The wolf barked once, then Jack replied, "Yes, I checked there. See if its in the kitchen, I'll keep looking around here." The wolf rolled its eyes, then started rummaging around in the lower cabinets in the kitchen, eventually returning holding the handle of a box in its mouth. "Thanks Ro'on, my memory isn't as good as it used to be," Jack said as he took the box from the wolf.

"You can speak to that animal? In english? And it understands you?" asked Samus, amazed at what she had just seen.

"Ro'on isn't like most animals, he's far more intelligent. Just... treat him like a human" said Jack, unraveling a strip of linen.

Ro'on nodded in approval as he spoke.

"Alright then..." said Samus, then she winced as Jack started to brace, then wrap her leg.

"Well, a hospital might be better for you, but I'm guessing you'd rather not go there," said Jack when he was finished.

"Yes. I cannot be seen, not like this," she answered, then gasped as Ro'on tugged the blanket covering her mutated arm, revealing its true nature. Jack took a slight step back, then slapped his forehead. _That stupid mutt_! Samus thought, seeing the look on Jack's face.

"Geez, I didn't even ask your name! Heh, sorry, it's been a while since I've talked to anyone. So, what is your name?" he said.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" Samus demanded, instantly becoming weary.

"Well, thats a mouthful. To answer your question though, nothing is going on. Thats kinda why I live out here. It's usually pretty quiet," said Jack.

"No, I mean why aren't you freaking out? I'm clearly not a human, not anymore, so why are you standing there all calm and offering pancakes?!" shouted Samus.

"Look kid, after the stuff I've seen, a non-human really isn't that impressive. Look, obviously you have questions, and I'll answer what I can, but for every question you ask, I get to ask one as well. We each get 5 questions apiece. Deal?" asked Jack as he held his hand.

"Deal" replied Samus, grasping it firmly.

Jack flopped into a chair, and pulled out a flask filled with a clear liquid. "Right, I'll go first. What is your name?" he asked.

Samus grabbed the pancakes off the table, then sat down on the couch, propping her feet on the cushions. "Samus Aran. Now, why did you say I'm not the first non-human you've encountered?" she replied.

Jack took a swig and replied, "Well, Samus, that is because I used to travel a lot, and I met a few aliens. Now, who did this to you? And before you waste a question asking how I know that you aren't quite yourself, its obvious to my eyes that you're undergoing a forced transformation."

Samus shook her head and said, "I don't really know. The only name I heard was Kovarian." As the words left her lips, Jacks hands clenched. His eyes grew dark, and his head leaned forward a bit.

"Kovarian... Well, theres a name I never expected to hear. But, continue with your question," he said, in a much more serious tone.

Samus looked around and said, "You mentioned traveling. Did you ever encounter a race known as the Chozo?"

Jack thought for a while, and for a minute Samus thought he wouldn't answer, then he said, "Yes, I met the Chozo. But that was a very long time ago, on their home planet Zebes. Wait a minute... Hold on-" he stood up holding his hand in a "wait" gesture. "-Metroids, that's where I've seen that. I thought your hand looked familiar, its the same as a baby Metroids tusks! But wait, that would mean, hold on, of course!" Jack clapped his hands together. "Samus Aran, the Bounty Hunter for the Galactic Federation. You were responsible for the B.S.L. Space Labs incident in 2087! Of course, now everything makes sense. They gave you Metroid DNA to counteract the X parasites on board the ship. And since you've killed every Metroid and Kovarian wanted the last remaining sample, she decided to rip it out of you. Question, Am I right?!" asked Jack, as he dramatically pointed his finger at Samus.

Samus was astounded. In three questions he had figured out who she was, what had happened, and why it had happened, something she herself was still having difficulty with. "Yes! But wait, what year is it?" she said, still flabbergasted.

Jack did a fist pump and a small hop, yelling "Yesss! Three questions! I've still got it! WHOO! Uh, I think the year is somewhere between 2000 and 2010, I'm not really sure. Now then question 4. What kinds of clothes do you like?"

This took Samus completely off guard, as she had expected a more... probing question. She certainly had quite a few things she wanted to ask Jack, now that she knew that there was no possible way that he could have knowledge of future events, since it would be nearly a century before the Chozo would even find her. The more she thought about it though, the more it made sense that Adam hadn't tried to contact her yet. If Kovarian had taken her back in time, there would be no possible way for anyone to find her. But worst of all, there would be no way for her to get back to her own time. "Something tight fitting, but loose enough so that it doesn't restrict movement. So how do you know about the future?" she asked.

Jack sat flopped back into his chair and replied, "I used to have a friend named The Doctor. He had a time machine that allowed us to go wherever and whenever we wanted. I saw a lot of things, met lots of people, made a few enemies. Those were good days. But we parted ways a long time ago. Final question. If your mutation could be reversed, would you try to reverse it?"

Samus looked at her arm, then said, "I overheard the scientists saying that there was no way to undo this. My DNA is corrupted beyond repair... But, if there really WAS a way to undo this, I would do whatever it took. Now, for my last question. How do you know Kovarian?"

Jack gave a dark smile and said, "She hurt someone I cared about" then looking at the mantle, he added, "And maybe its time I got some payback. Anyways, we have work to do. First off, your clothes are, well, pretty torn up." Jack went over to a closet and pulled out a denim jacket, a white shirt, and a pair of jeans, then handed them to Samus. "Bathroom is down the hall to the left" he said, pointing his thumb in the direction.

Samus nodded her head in thanks, and followed his instructions. As she changed, she thought over the strange conversation she just had. _Of all the people to run into, I actually found the one person who could help. Jack's definitely odd, but he seems harmless enough. That wolf on the other hand, I still can't figure out. I need to keep on my guard around_ _it_ , she thought. Surprisingly, the clothes fit almost perfectly. As she exited the bathroom, she saw Jack pulling the refrigerator away from the wall. Then he pulled a crystal key out of his pocket, and poked it through the wallpaper. There was a * **click** * and a hidden door swung inwards.

"It's been a while since I've been down here" Jack said, in an almost sad tone.

Samus followed behind him, noticing the large piles of dust on the floor. It looked like nobody had been down there in decades. "What are you getting from here?" asked Samus.

"You said you wanted a cure, correct? Well Sam, I'm gonna make you one. Kovarians idiot squad might not be able to fix you, but I think I should be able to at least regress it to the point where you look human again" said Jack as he flicked a light switch.

As the lights flickered to life, a vast laboratory filled with all sorts of vials, computers, and spare parts became exposed. A crumpled green helmet with a broken visor lay on the table, next to a leather-bound book. It was covered with too much dust to make out the title. A large cardboard box sat in the corner, with an old tarp leaning off of it. Next to it was a half built motorbike. Jack went to the table with a computer and dusted it off, then got a syringe.

"All I need is a blood sample, after that, you can pretty much do whatever you like. Unfortunately, unless you like science-y things, there's not really much to do here, other than walk around in the woods, or relaxing on the porch," he said.

Samus held out her normal arm and said "That's okay. For now, I think I'll just get some rest." After obtaining the sample, Samus went upstairs and lay back down on the couch, with the hope of possibly undoing the damage Kovarian had done to her.

Meanwhile, Jack stood alone in his lab, working at a computer. _Looks like you really can't teach an old dog new tricks. No matter how hard I try, I always get stuck in these kinda situations, he thought. Still, Sam seems like a good kid. Shes made of pretty stern stuff too, most people would have given up_... then he paused. Ro'on sat behind him, and gave a muffled * **huff** *.

"One last mission. That's it. We settle the score, and come back here. I refuse to play Hero again. Not after what happened. One mission, then we're done," Jack said, in an almost angry tone.

Ro'on growled, a low deep rumpling sound, like two large stones being dragged across each other.

"No, we both know how that story ends. Every time. I won't discuss this any more," said Jack, as he put all his attention on the work in front of him.

This was going to take a while.


	3. Knocking on Deaths Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kovarians forces have discovered Samus Arans location. Is she doomed to be recaptured, or can Jack find a way to get them all out of harms reach? One thing is certain. I put that Major Character Death warning tag on this story for a reason.
> 
> Fignewtons: //wheezes// buT DOES HE DEAR READER

The days went by quickly for Samus. Jack had given her a book the size of several dictionaries, containing all the lore he had discovered about the Chozo, including schematics for weapons, upgrades, and even a few prototype power suits.

"How did you even get this?" she asked.

He simply replied, "An old friend wanted me to have it, just in case. He was afraid that someone would misuse their technology, but he didn't want it forgotten in case a large threat like the X arose."

"So the Chozo just gave you this?" she asked skeptically.

Jack chuckled and said, "Well, not quite. One of them gave me that book, and I added a few observations to it. Took me a while to figure out the morph ball. Clever birds, mixing science with spiritual mechanics."

After a few weeks, her leg had healed up enough to the point where she could walk normally, so she took to walking through the woods, and trying out her newfound abilities. She quickly found that her arm and any transformed tissue was nearly indestructible, not to mention her strength had been noticeably increased. Her senses were even more enhanced, as she quickly noticed with her hearing and night vision. One day, when she came back, she noticed a handgun, a Browning M 1911, sitting on the table, with a note attached.

The note read:

_Sam, if you're gonna leave and walk around, at least take this. You're probably perfectly safe, but just in case, its a good idea to pack some firepower. Also, there's a firing range out back, if you want to test it._

She picked it up, and noticed how light it was. She had expected gun from this time period to be heavier. _But a weapon is always useful to have, even if it IS ancient,_ she thought as she headed to the range. She lined up the sights to one of the targets and pulled the trigger. She was shocked when a blue beam shot out from the barrel, incinerating her target. _Right, time traveler. He must have picked it up on his adventures,_ she thought, then shot out the rest of the targets, feeling much more comfortable with the pistol.

Once, during her walks, she discovered tracks of a large reptile, but she discovered the tracks soon vanished, as if the creature had climbed up to the branches above, or taken to the air.

When she brought it up to Jack, he gave a chuckle and only said, "The only monster out here is Ro'on, so I wouldn't worry too much."

Another strange thing Samus noticed was how Jack was always awake before she was. On several occasions, she tried to wake up before him, but to no avail. He always seemed to be up when she went to sleep, and awake before her. At one point she thought Jack was a robot, and confronted him about it, but her theory was disproved when he pulled out a knife and made a cut on his arm, drawing blood.

She quickly apologized, but Jack just gave a shrug, saying, "I don't mind. After seeing the Maverick Wars of 20XX, it made me paranoid for weeks."

Then one day Jack came out of the basement holding a clear blue vial.

"Here, drink this. It probably tastes horrible though," he said, holding it out.

Samus took it and without hesitation drank it. She gagged at the taste, Jack wasn't kidding, it tasted rancid. Her mind was taken off the taste as every inch of her flesh itched and burned. She was knocked to her knees by the violent reaction, as she felt her guts suddenly decide they no longer wanted to be inside her body. The world blurred for a minute, and she swore she was going to pass out, but she somehow remained conscious. When her vision cleared, the first thing she did was say "Holy shit, you weren't kidding!"

Jack held out his hand, saying, "Yeah, admittedly I did NOT expect that kind of reaction. But, it did work, so you can't really complain too much."

After she took his hand and pulled herself up, she rolled up the sleeve of her mutated arm to find it was back to normal! Even her lost finger was back somehow. "How, how did you do this? Is it permanent?" she asked, amazed by the transformation.

"How I did it is complicated. Basically, Kovarian managed to decay most of your Human DNA, but the Chozo parts were untouched. Unfortunately its not permanent. But I've created a work around of sorts. The Serum replaces the dominant parts of your Human half, but you can still transform into a creature that's a hybrid of Chozo and Metroid if a certain chemical is introduced into your body, a chemical created under extreme amounts of stress. Long story short, if you're ever in a pinch, you can become a creature with the attributes of a Queen Metroid and still use Chozo technology," said Jack.

"A Queen? Well then, I think I would like to try out these new abilities, on Kovarian," said Samus.

A devilish gleam appeared in Jacks golden eyes as he said, "I had a feeling you would say that. I might have a way to-" he was cut off as a loud * **BOOM** * was heard, and the sound of roaring engines became louder.

"What the Hell?" yelled Samus, but Jack was already looking through the window.

"Ah shit. Looks like Kovarian finally tracked you down. Those uniforms the soldiers are wearing are the same as the one you were wearing when you crashed. Geez, looks like they went all out, there's enough firepower to take over three continents..."

Hundreds of strategies started pouring through Samus' brain, the most prominent one being using her newfound transformation. Maybe, just maybe she could either kill or distract enough of them for Jack to get away... _He's clever, but he's no fighter. I'm betting that's why he keeps a wolf around. Besides, I owe him that much. He's been so nice these past few weeks, I refuse to let him get hurt just because I was too weak,_ she thought. Meanwhile, Jack walked over to the fireplace mantle, grabbed the crystal, and shoved it into his pocket.

"Get into the basement, go to the computer, and type 'Mr.Smith I need you' then type 'Cam all'. That will take care of everything. And no matter what you see, don't come out until everyone is dead" said Jack.

"No, if you plan on facing them, I'm going to be right beside you. I am not some-" she said, when Jack clamped a hand over her mouth.

"You trusted me to brace your broken bones, you trusted me to fix your mutation. Now trust me one last time, or we are all dead," he said as he stared directly into her eyes. There was something in them that Samus had never seen before, a fire that she never thought existed within him. But she also sensed that he was telling the truth. She gave a slight nod to indicate her consent, and he removed his hand. "Thank you. Now, if you excuse me, I need to take care of some yard work," he said with a chuckle.

Samus went into the basement lab as Jack headed for the front door. She heard the door slam behind her, and the sound of something large being pushed back into place. Going up to the computer she typed out "Mr.Smith I need you" and a Top Hat icon appeared next to a window where she could type in commands, so she typed "Cam all" which brought up a series of cameras onto the screen. _He must have the whole place wired up,_ she thought. She turned up the volume and discovered that there was also an audio feed.

Jack stepped out the front door and heard the sound of weapons being primed. _One combat shuttle, two small combat ships, six mounted guns, and at least fifty ground troops, with another fifty disbursed within all the ships. 10 snipers in the trees at least. But those ships aren't meant for long space travel, which means Kovarian must be within 2 ligh_ _t years of this planet, or rather a Carrier is. And if I find the Carrier, I can trace it to Kovarian. But, first things first_ \- he thought. "Well, you certainly made a mess of my lawn. Care to explain?" he yelled.

He instantly felt every gun be pointed at him, as over a speaker whoever was in charge said, "We are aware that a fugitive is within this area. Give her up now, and we will spare your life. If you fail to comply to our demands, your life is forfeit."

Jack put his hands in his pocket and said, "Listen up, caus I ain't gonna repeat myself. Samus Aran is under my protection. Leave now, or not one of you will leave alive!"

In a heartbeat, Jack felt a barrage of lasers sear all the way through his body, as every soldier unloaded their weapons. He fell backwards, knocking the now shattered door off what remained of its hinges. His corpse was a wreck as blood oozed out the numerous holes onto the ground. Samus watched in horror as Jack was mercilessly gunned down. The immense guilt started to sink in, as she realized Jack must have planned to not escape, but rather fool the soldiers into thinking she wasn't there, hidden away in the basement. If only she had stopped him, she could've done something- anything even- to stop his senseless murder. But there was nothing she could do now, except watch as five soldiers headed towards the door of the cabin.


	4. The Madman and the Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a reason Jacks last name is 'Ripper'. And a reason why he is alone.

As the soldiers approached the door, they stiffened in place. A gurgling noise came from each one of their throats, then they fell over dead. Jacks knees bent upwards as his feet went flat across the ground. Then he leaned upwards and stood back upright, blood still dripping off his clothes.

"You know... I kinda hoped you would go with that option," he said as he stood hunched forward. Then he vanished from sight, just as a hail of lasers went through the area where he had just been.

"What the hell just happened? We fucking destroyed that guy, is he a zombie?" asked one of the soldiers, who was closer to the front.

"Oh no, not a zombie. They move far too slow," Jack said from behind him, as a crystal scythe sprouted from the soldiers chest. "I am something else entirely," he said as he pulled it out with a sickening * **squelch** *. The soldiers all fired at him, but he vanished again, only appearing for a split second as he mercilessly and brutally obliterated every one in his path, until only the ships and the gunners remained. He stood in the center of them all with a deranged smile on his face and a crystal scythe in his hand, raised in preparation for a strike.

"Look, its only advantage is speed. Whatever is keeping him alive cannot last forever. If we just keep to the air out of reach and lay down suppressing fire, eventually that monster will stay down. Meanwhile, Delta, try and make contact with Alpha. Tell them we need air support," the Commander said over his personal radio.

"Oh, I'm not the monster here. That title is reserved for the other guy," said Jack, over the same radio. Meanwhile on the ground, he had vanished from sight.

"Shit, how the hell is he doing that?" shouted the Commander.

"He must have a device concealed on him," said an assistant.

"Where!? He was filled with holes earlier! Wait a minute... He said 'Other guy'?" then an deep rumbling * **ROAR** * reverberated across the area. "Foxtrot report, what the hell made that sound?" the Commander yelled.

"Sir! We have a serious problem!" shouted someone.

"What is it this time?!" growled the Commander.

"I have a feeling we're going to need a LOT of firepower to take THAT out," said the soldier, as he pointed to a large blip that had appeared out of nowhere. A large scale covered jaw reached down and grabbed one of the transport shuttles, reducing it to scrap instantly.

"He big, he fast, and most importantly he's loyal to me! Ladies, gentlemen, and all variations in between, meet my good buddy Ro'on!" Jack said over the loudspeaker. A large silver dragon flew by the ship, with scrap metal flying out of its teeth.

"WHERE THE FUCK WAS THAT HIDING?! DID RECON NOT FIND THAT WHEN THEY WENT IN THE FIRST, SECOND, OR THIRD TIME?!" screamed the Commander as he turned to face his assistant.

"I-I don't know sir! All reports stated that the only inhabitants of the area were the target, one humanoid male, and a canine! None of them showed any signs that they had abilities on this scale! Sir, we have to consider the fact that we aren't equipped to handle this," said the assistant.

"You're damn right we aren't, contact Foxtrot, we're pulling out! Lay down suppressing fire, and haul ass." he said, then he heard a knock on the windshield. Two short knocks, two fast ones, then another long knock, then two more fast ones.

"Shave and a haircut, two bits!" said Jack as he floated in the air in front of them. Then he drew his fist back, and punched clean through the barrier. "Trying to run away? That's funny, caus I'm pretty sure I said YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ALIVE. And I am a man of my word," said Jack.

"Shoot him! Quickly! Before-" hollered the commander but was cut off suddenly. Everyone aimed a gun at Jack and started pumping the triggers, but nothing was happening.

"I'm going to have to stop you right there. Now, I need to have a little private chat with you, but obviously there's too many people around. Let's fix that," Jack said as he snapped his fingers together. Instantly everyone's heads twisted around a full 360 degrees, resulting in a surround sound * **SNAP** *. "There we go! Much better," said Jack as he floated to the floor.

"What the hell did you do? What did you do to my men!?" said the Commander, finding that he could speak again.

"Please, you make it sound like what I did was hard. Lemme put it to you this way buddy. If I wanted to, every single soldier would have died the very millisecond you ordered my 'Death'. However, it's been a long time since I had any kind of action, so I figured I'd use you guys as a warmup exercise! Too bad yall died so quickly, I only had enough time to try out a few of my powers. But I think it was enough to send a message at least," said Jack. Behind him, one of the remaining ships tried to fly away, but was swatted down to the earth like a fly by a scaly tail.

"You were just screwing with us? This whole time? What kind of creature are you?" the Commander asked as he slowly reached for a gun in his holster behind his back.

"I am Jack Ripper. I am-" but was cut off by a plasma beam going through his skull, carving out a quarter sized hole. Jack rolled his eyes, and threw his scythe. It embedded itself in the wall behind the Commander. Then slowly, a red line appeared right down the center of the mans body, then he fell over, cleaved perfectly into two halves. "Okay, see, that's just rude. I was being nice and answering your final question here on this earth, but nooo! You just had to interrupt me. Although, points for the headshot, that was pretty good. Wait, I'm getting off topic again. Oh DAMMIT, NOW I REMEMBER! GOD DAMMIT I NEEDED HIM ALIVE, SHIT!" Jack yelled, stomping the ground in anger. _Wait, no I don't, I already hacked the comm line, I don't need his ID. Although, there is something else I'm forgetting_... Jack thought, then he noticed that the floor was at an odd angle. _Right, I took out the pilot, so the ship isn't being steered by anyone right now,_ he thought, then realized what exactly that meant just seconds before the ship crashed nose first into the ground. Ro'on cringed as he watched. That hurt. A lot. An arm poked out of the twisted metal, hauling the body of Jack. As he stood up, he noticed he was quite a bit lighter. As he looked around, he noticed he was missing an arm. "You know, you'd think the immense pain would have tipped me off that I was missing a limb, but you'd be wrong," Jack told Ro'on.

"It's your own fault, you should have been more aware of your surroundings," replied Ro'on. He no longer appeared as a dragon, but a 3 foot high wolf human hybrid, wearing loose pants black pants, solid black boots, and an open grey collared vest, revealing a thick layer of grey fur.

"It's been like, what, how many years since I last died? Gimmie a break already," said Jack wiping off blood from his brow. As he looked over the wreckage of the lawn, he asked Ro'on "Do we have any grass seed in the garage? I'm pretty sure there are going to be patches of dead grass..."


	5. More than just a man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dying and coming back to life, Jack has some explaining to do.

"I forgot what it felt like to get shot, that hurt more than I remember. Least they weren't using bullets, God I hate plucking out bullets," said Jack as he went back into the house.

"You could have easily just gotten through the whole ordeal without taking a scratch," Ro'on said, following behind him.

"Well, yeah, I guess... Still, the looks on their faces! Ah, I never get tired of that!" Jack said as he went to the closet and grabbed a set of clothes identical to the ones he had been previously wearing. "Too bad I wasn't wearing my usual gear, human fabrics get messed up far too easily," he added as his torn clothes floated off of his body. _My good friend telepathy, how I've missed you!_ Jack mused, then realized something was off. "Did we leave Sam in the basement?" he asked Ro'on.

"No, she's standing behind you" Ro'on replied as he went and leaned with his back to a wall, arms crossed.

"Care to explain what the hell just happened out there? I've seen galactic wars less bloody," Samus said in an angry tone, standing directly in front of Jack, giving him a death glare.

"Well Sam, it's very simple. I don't die. Ever. Bullets, black hole, bagels, nothing keeps me down," said Jack.

"And the wolf dragon mutant?" Samus asked, nodding her head in the direction of Ro'on.

"Simple. He's a daemon," said Jack, as a flask that was on the table floated into his hands.

"I've never heard of Daemons before. Are they like demons? Is that what you are?" Samus asked.

Jack took a swig and said "That stuff isn't so simple. And you're wrong on all counts. Demons have no relation to Daemons, at least, I'm pretty sure they don't. It's hard to tell, since Ro'on is the only one in this universe, or at least the only one I've found. As for me, I've got no clue what my species is, so I made up a name. Meta Lord."

Samus looked at him with an expression of disbelief, then covered her mouth, trying to suppress a chuckle. "Really? Of all the things to call yourself, you chose Meta Lord?" she asked, trying to hide her smile.

"Look, I'm good at a lot of things. Names ain't one of them," Jack said with a shrug.

"Okay, but you still haven't explained WHAT a Meta Lord or Daemon is. Also, you are missing an arm," Samus countered.

"Eh, I'm not worried about an arm, I've lost plenty of those. Anyways, have you ever heard of the Time Lords? Basically, they discovered Temporal Mechanics, which allowed them to travel through time and space. You wanna know what they did with that knowledge? Not a damn thing, they sat around living forever just watching the world go by. And I do mean forever. They never aged, or if they did, it was unnoticeable. Plus they could cheat death 12 times, using a type of energy they dubbed "Regeneration". Whenever one of them took mortal damage, this energy would restore their body back to its peak. But only 12 times. After that, they would die for good," Jack said, as he took a seat in his recliner. Samus pulled up a chair, listening intently. For once, Jack was making sense, which was a rare experience she relished in. "However, I'm no Time Lord. I met one, my friend the Doctor, and their biology is not like an average human. My biology though, is actually human. Well, it was, but I'm getting to that. Like the Time Lords, I have access to Regenerations, but unlike them, I am not limited to 12. As far as I can tell, mine are unlimited. Long story short, I'm immortal, and have access to near infinite power. Problem is the only way to trigger it is by dying, or at least, that's the only way I've found. So in the end, I'm neither Human or Time Lord. Just, something in-between," concluded Jack.

"Sounds like you're not really sure how you even work," Samus remarked.

"It's not like I came with a manual explaining everything. Anyways, back on topic. So, Ro'on is a Daemon, from an entirely different dimension than our own. Daemons in that world act like a Human soul, and are bonded to their Partners. All experiences are shared between both people, including pain, anger, etc. Also, the daemon can take whatever animal form it desires, to best reflect what is in the Partners heart. I'm Ro'ons Partner, making him the physical incarnation of my soul," explained Jack.

Samus looked at Ro'on, then at Jack, then back to Ro'on, then back to Jack asking, "So, at heart you're a goth wolf?"

"Hardly. Ro'ons greyed out appearance is due to something that happened a while back. It's a long story, but the result was him losing his emotions, which in turn made him lose all coloring. And yes, I still have my emotions. However, this means he can pretty much take whatever animal form he wants, from a small mouse, to a giant dragon," Jack elaborated.

"Oh, sorry. I have to say though, that is quite a bit to take in all at once. I can somewhat see why you didn't tell me this at first," said Samus, leaning back in her chair.

"To be fair, I really hadn't planned on telling you this. But since I died, there's no use trying to keep it secret," said Jack, emptying his flask. A yellow light started to glow from the torn out socket of Jacks arm, and soon bone, muscle, and sinew regrew rapidly, forming a complete arm. "There, now Ro'on can QUIT COMPLAINING!" Jack exclaimed with a teasing tone.

"I like having all my limbs," retorted Ro'on, in his usual cold tone.

"Are you two always like this?" asked Samus.

"Yes." they both replied.

Jack snapped his fingers and said "Geez, I nearly forgot! Mr.Smith, I need you!" A panel along the wall opened up revealing a monitor with a top hat logo.

"Yes Jack?" asked a male robotic voice.

Samus just stared at the wall, stunned. "Do you go out of your way to keep secrets, just so you can reveal them and watch how people react?" she asked.

"If I said No, would you believe me?" Jack asked back, then continued, "Mr.Smith, is there a ship nearby? Probably a long range carrier, meant for heavy equipment and organic troops. If so, break into it, find its commanding ship, and send them a message. Audio preferably, but I'm not picky."

There was a pause, then- "One ship detected. I can send a message through it at any time."

Jack grinned and brought his hands together, saying, "Excellent! Cut off their oxygen, so the military onboard won't interfere with the broadcast. Oh, and after you send the message, trigger the self destruct. Nothing sends a better message like explosions and property damage."

Meanwhile, aboard a large ship in the middle of a fleet in deep space, the Communications Officer was trying to get ahold of his superior. As she came onto the deck, he said, "Madam Kovarian, we have just received incoming communication from the Nilinth!" and saluted.

"Sit down, and try to bring them onscreen" she ordered.

He responded however, "The Nilinth is only broadcasting audio for some reason. We aren't sure-" then was cut off as a voice boomed throughout the room.

"Kovarian. It's been a long time. You know- I never did thank you properly for everything you've done to me and my friends in the past. But, since I was in the neighborhood, I figured I'd drop by and thank you in person," the voice said. It was an eerily calm, relaxing voice, but at the same time it held a cold fury, that would soon be unleashed. "I'll be by in an hour, and I'll have a friend with me, who has a few choice words she would like to say about your research. Yours truly, Jack Ripper."


	6. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Samus prepare for the final fight. But what can a Meta Lord, a Daemon, and a Bounty Hunter do against an army? Answer: Quite a lot.

"So, you just decided to give them a warning?! Why would you even think that was a good idea?" Samus asked, as the monitor went back behind a wall. "Because, I felt like it, and because now they are expecting us within an hour. So, we just show up early, and get the drop on them" Jack said, as he attached a brown long leather wrist-strap to his arm , pressing down on a few sections, then started walking to the basement. As he walked, Samus said "There are so many things wrong with that statement, where should I start? One, we don't have a ship. Two, there is no possible way to get to Kovarian in a ship within the hour, three, only you and Ro'on seem to be armed with enough firepower to actually take on Kovarian, and four, what are you doing?" as Jack stood in front of the cardboard box with the tarp over it. It was large, maybe about eight feet tall, and about four feet wide. "Sam, Sam, Sam, you should have learned by now" he said as he pulled the tarp off, and pulled back the front flap of the box, stepping inside. Samus follow behind him, but could barely see through the darkness. "I've got a LOT of time on my hands" Jack said, as he flicked a switch, lighting up the inside. It was far bigger on the inside, bigger than mathematics should allow, but still, there it was. In the center of the room was a console with all kinds of buttons, levers, and switches, with a few monitors hanging around. "This, is a Tardis. It lets me travel through time and space. I built it myself. So that should answer questions 1 through 4" said Jack, leaning up against a railing. "I was right, you actually do this on purpose. You love revealing things" said Samus, as she looked around. "Hey, at my age, it's the one thing I get to look forward to" admitted Jack, as he raised his arms in a "Oh well" gesture. "Anyways, this ship can take us to Kovarian, and we can arrive at any time we want. We could stop for lunch if we wanted to, and still arrive there earlier than when we left" he said. "And what about weapons?" Samus asked with an upraised eyebrow. "Oh, I've got something special in mind" said Jack, as he started to walk down a hallway, gesturing for Samus to follow him. As they walked, Jack said "This ship holds some of the most dangerous items in the universe. Including me. Now, usually I'd have no problem going in guns blazing, but for once, I can't do that. Whatever Kovarian wanted with the Metroid DNA, it cant be good. That means we need to kill the researchers involved as well as Kovarian, in order to make sure her plans are erased for good. Nuking the whole space station won't work, because it is very possible for her to escape using the debris as cover, or by even having a Ganger on the ship. So, how do I kill everyone important, while making sure that they are actually the people I want dead?" asked Jack. Samus thought for a minute, then her eyes lit up. "By sending a threat message, you've ensured that they will start fortifying the base and evacuating all non-military personnel. They will all be gathered up in a specific location, or locations, where you can examine them and make sure they are not, what did you say? Gangers? And by using time travel, you can sneak on board the base while another version of you attacks as a distraction. You've planned all this out" she said, amazed. "Huh, you catch on pretty quick! Actually, I hadn't planned on that time loop, that could get messy really fast, I was going to send in Ro'on as you and I hit the main force. Then, after we get the signal from him that hes dealt with the targets, we blow the whole thing up, just to be sure. I don't like loose ends" said Jack as he turned a corner and entered a room. Various items sat in display cases around the edge of the room. An odd mask hung in one glass display case in the corner. It was shaped like a humans face, but with blue and red streaks around the eyes, and white locks of hair. The eyes were hollowed out, so that the wearer could see through the mask. A leather-bound book, the same one Samus had sworn was in the basement, also sat in a case. For some reason though, the mask is what caught her attention the most. "Just ignore it" said Ro'on. This startled Samus, and she jumped a little bit. She had no idea he was even there, let alone behind her. "Word of advice, don't touch anything in here. Most of it will kill you, some will do things worse than that" said Jack. "Then why are we even in here?" asked Samus, taking Ro'ons advice, and tearing her eyes away from the case. "You need a suit, right?" replied Jack. "Well, it just so happens, I've got one" he said as he approached the back wall, and stood in front of a line of displays with suits in them. Out of the four cases, one of them was empty. Next to it was a suit of red and black armor that looked a little bulky, with an Omega symbol on the shoulder and a sticky note on the glass with the words "Omega Armor". Next to that, was a suit of grey armor with pointed animal ears and a tail sticking out of it, with a sticky note reading "Wolf Armor". The last one was green and black, with areas where the paint had worn off, with a note reading "Night Armor". Jack opened it up, and grabbed the hand, embracing it like a handshake. It seemed to flex, then was drawn into the wristband Jack had put on earlier. With the case empty, Jack closed it. "Now then, Mr.Smith, I need you to make a Chozo suit, but add some serious firepower into it. And uh, maybe a reaction boost and some extra defense? I want this thing able to level continents and tank/dodge laser blasts" said Jack. "Constructing now" replied Mr.Smith. A few seconds later, a panel of the floor opened up, and a case with Chozo Power Armor opened up. "You can just... make these? Manufacture them in seconds?" asked Samus, running her hand over the suits cannon. "Seconds for us, months for Mr.Smith. The flow of time here isnt constant. But since he is an A.I., time has little meaning to him. So he can afford to take years on a project. Anyways, we got what we came for, let's get out of here" said Jack. In a flash, Samus materialized the suit around herself. For once, she felt confident again. The world was back in her control, and she would not let it spiral out of hand again. "Why the rush?" she asked, looking around. But something in the back of her mind told her that something bad was nearby. That something wanted her dead. Suddenly, Jacks idea of leaving instantly didn't sound as unreasonable as she thought. "Some things are better left unsaid. We aren't in any immediate danger though, so don't freak out over nothing" he replied as he headed towards the door. As they exited the room, Samus swore that she felt eyes watching her from the shadows. As the door closed, a sense of relief fell over her for some reason. She was so relieved she nearly ran into a robot that was walking by. It wasn't very tall, maybe only five and a half feet tall, but it was impressive looking. Its face had no mouth, but two large oval blue domed eyes, and a fin on the front of its head. is was painted in shades of orange and yellow, with inner layers of black popping out from in between the gaps. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, but the robot only made beeping noises at her. "He says its okay" said Jack. "Thats ML, my security robot. He looks small, but he packs quite a punch. Oh, and uh, his voice chip is busted, so he speaks in that, beep, language. It's based off of Morse Code. He's fully sentient though" Jack said as he put an arm around ML. ML pointed to Samus and beeped, to which Jack replied with "Nah, it's not like that. Have Mr.Smith fill you in, it's a long story and I have people to kill" then Jack started heading back to the console. ML beeped at him again, and Jack yelled "I know, right? One last mission though, thats it. Really!" Samus noticed a couch of all things nearby the console, and decided to take a seat. Jack took a seat in a recliner that had somehow appeared, while Ro'on perched on Jacks shoulder as a small dragon. "Right, everyone know what they're doing?" asked Jack. Samus nodded and said "Go in. Kill everything. Destroy the base." Jack chuckled, saying "Got it. Any objections Sam?" There was a brief second, then Samus gave a thumbs up. A lever on the console flipped downwards, as a loud *thonk* echoed throughout the room, accompanied by a rhythmic*whoosh*. "One last mission, and then I go back to the cabin. A guy like me just can't do this stuff anymore" Jack thought to himself. "That is a lie. You can does this, you just choose not to" Ro'on mentally replied. "You can go stick your nose in a beehive" replied Jack. "Isolation will not fix your problem, you need to do something" said Ro'on. "I need to do nothing. When I do something, people get killed. One last mission, then I'm done" countered Jack, to which Ro'on did not reply.


	7. One Last Mission?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The assault on Kovarians base. But can 3 people really take on a fortified base? If one of those people is Jack Ripper, then absolutely yes.

Jack took a deep breath, his hands holding a pair of identical pistols. Then he stepped out of the Tardis doors, and was instantly shot at. Three shots in the chest, two in the head. They would have hit their mark, if not for his quick reflexes. "Kovarian aint screwing around, these guys arent rookies" Jack thought. Without missing a beat he promptly opened fire. He hand landed in a landing bay after discretely dropping off Ro'on, since it was the most obvious place to land. And just to add some extra attention, he had set the Tardis speakers to play some metal music. As if cued on by the music, the soldiers bodies hit the floor in perfect sync to the beat of the music, blood spouting from the quarter sized holes that had appeared in their foreheads. Then he started walking forward, at a leisurely pace, eyes forward. "Sam, think you can get the 25 on the right? I'll get the ones on the left" Jack said, as wave after wave of shots hit their mark. He wanted to go all out, and just use some lightning bolts to fry everyone near him, or just punch a hole through the blast doors and let space kill them all. But he had to stall for time, make them think he could be beaten. He made sure to keep an eye on his suits HUD, as well as Sams. The last thing he needed was another corpse on his hands. "Roger that. I noticed a terminal behind you on the left, up on that balcony, can you get your AI to hack it?" Samus asked. "Good eye Sam, I'm on it" said Jack, taking a leap to the console Samus had mentioned. He landed on a soldier with a sickening *crack*. A blast hit his shoulder from behind, but Jack shot the man without even looking. "Mr.Smith, I need you. I want every scrap of data outta this thing. I'll figure out the rest" he said as he placed a chip into the computers port. "Accessing. Data acquired. I now have full access to the entire ships functions" said Mr.Smith. "Perfect as usual" replied Jack, as he pulled up a map of the station inside his helmet. "You want to hurry up a little bit? I'm running out of people to kill" yelled Samus, as she blasted a turret mounted on the wall. "Hold on a second, I'm going through the staff list" replied Jack. As the last turret became scrap metal, Samus came out from behind her cover, and aimed her ar cannon at the doors. Then after a brief charge up, the doors turned into a piece of modern art. "Think we killed them too fast?" she asked. "Actually, I'd say the timing was spot on. I forgot how nice it was to run an op with a trained soldier. Anyways, I've got our hit list, well, Ro'ons hit list, complete with faces and locations. As expected, they're all headed to the evac shuttles. He's already taken out a good chunk of them without being noticed, but he hasn't spotted Kovarian yet, which I find extremely odd. Usually she is the first to jump ship" said Jack, puzzled. "You think its a trap?" asked Samus. "Could be. But whatever it is, my techs better than hers any day of the week" said Jack, as he hopped off the catwalk. "Anyways, let's just head to the engine room. Ro'ons about 2/3rds down the list" he said, taking point. As they walked through the halls, they met very little resistance. "Okay, whats going on here? I expected to be met with waves and waves of men, not a stroll through the park" said Jack, after walking for a while without anyone shooting at them. "They must have fallen back to a secure location, or they cut their losses and ran. I've seen it before" replied Samus, aiming her arm cannon down a hallway as they passed it. "I'd agree, if I didn't have control of the cameras. I know they've got to have more than just 58 people here, this ship is too big, so why can't I find them on the monitors? All I'm seeing is nothing" Jack said. "At any rate, we are near the ships engine. If there is an ambush-" Jack held up his hand in a "halt" motion, before leaning down and touching the floor with his bare hand. A thin layer of dust was present on the skin. "Switch to your Ice Beam Sam, I think I solved the mystery" Jack said, as the suit covered his hand again. Samus switched beams, then asked "You got a theory you'd like to share? Because I'd swear you think Metroids are nearby." Jack looked around cautiously, saying "I'm not sure, but its better to be prepared. That dust I think is whats left of the soldiers, or at least some of them." Samus looked at the floor, and noticed that she had been leaving footprints that got clearer the closer they got to the door. "All that dust does seem to be unnaturally piled up here" she agreed. "Cams are out beyond that door. We breach on three. Ready?" Jack asked. Samus nodded, as they both pointed their weapons at the door. "One, two, THREE!" yelled Jack as they opened fire, blasting the door into the room. It was mostly well lit, but just as empty as the hallways. Jack walked into the room, aiming at anything he thought moved. Samus did the same, as they both moved back to back throughout the room. It was massive, with pipes and wires all over the place, feeding into various machines that whirred and buzzed. "Alright, I'm gonna place a few bombs, then we book it" said Jack as he took a few disks out from a slot on the arm of his suit. Thats when he saw it, in the corner of his eye, an extremely fast moving silver object heading towards them. He grabbed Samuses hand and hurled himself forward, just barely avoiding being impaled by the silver thing. "Heads up we got company!" he yelled, opening fire on whatever he could see. The outline of a large humanoid mech soon appeared, with two silver tentacle like limbs protruding from its back. "Damn, thats some good cloaking tech, I didn't even pick that up" said Samus. "Mr.Smith, scan that sucker" yelled Jack, as he jumped out of the way of a barrage of energy shots, landing on the ceiling. Samus jumped to the other side, trying to aim a clear shot at its back, but it moved much faster than it should have been capable of. Jack fired in retaliation, but none of his shots seemed to faze it at all. "Analysis complete. Prototype Metroid Combat Armor. Weaknesses: Tremendous energy consumption rate. This armor is designed to absorb energy similar to the Metroids, energy weapons will not harm it. The tentacles on its back provide long range absorption of life energy, and are capable of moving at extremely fast speeds. Try to get rid of those first before attacking the main unit" said Mr.Smith. "How do i hurt it?" asked Jack as one tentacle clipped the side of his leg, sending him spinning. "Brute force should work well enough. However, direct contact will eat away at your energy, and restore the unit" replied Mr.Smith. "Great, just what I needed. Sam, you hear that?" asked Jack as he caught his balance. "Every word. Plan?" she asked. She curled into a ball to avoid one attack, then flipped over a tentacle as it tried to grab her. "Imma punch it!" yelled Jack as he hurled himself forward at it, his suits hands an forearm covered in crystal gauntlets. He intercepted on tentacle in midair and slammed it to the ground, denting it. But as he did that, the other one grabbed him out of the air. Th suit began to buckle a bit as Jack tried to free himself. "OH SHIT!" he thought as he noticed the power draining out of his suit. It was draining him faster than he could damage it. "Great, I'm gonna die, and while I'm dead this thing is gonna kill Samus. I've got to get out of this, I need Ro'on here, he could-" but before he could finish that thought, he heard a roar. A roar of a beast that had been pissed off. A two pronged claw smashed the tentacle that had been holding Jack into scraps, leaving Jack a moment to catch his breath. A large Queen Metroid stood protectively in front of him. Pieces of armor covered the chest of it, and its multiple eyes. "Hey Sam, did you do something with your hair? I'd swear something is different about you" Jack said with a grin. "I will squish you" came the telepathic reply. "How bout after this?" suggested Jack as he dove out of the way of another barrage of lasers. "Fine. But you owe me a drink" Samus replied. As Jack surveyed the situation, he got an idea. "Sam, pin the arms, I'll rip 'em off at the base" he shouted. Samus instantly grabbed both of them, one with a claw, and one within her jaws. "Time for a change of pace" he thought, drawing power deep from within himself. Then, with a deafening *boom* he sped forward, breaking the sound barrier. His fist connected with the back of the mech, with a resounding *clang*, as pieces of metal sprayed everywhere. The tentacles went limp instantly. "Thats one threat down" said Jack. But it still had its regular arms and legs to deal with, not to mention the lasers. "Then the rest of it should be a breeze" said Samus, already spitting out the pieces she had in her jaws. Jack planted a fist in the back of the mech and started to climb up to the head, ripping parts out along the way. Meanwhile, Samus went at it from the front, ripping and tearing at whatever limb she came into contact with. They both managed to reach the head at the same time, and after Samus pried back some plates, Jack hopped inside. "Special delivery! One can of whoop-ass, with a side of get wrecked SON!" he yelled as he planted one of the disks near a bunch of circuits that he guessed were important. Then he crawled back out and hit the button. As he and Samus watched the the mech turn into a molten hunk of metal, Samus asked "Really? of all the things you could say, get wrecked son?" "Look, I'm a little rusty, it's been centuries since I've taunted anyone other than Ro'on" said Jack with a shrug as he took a sip from a flask. "What are we waiting for again?" Samus asked, but Jack only held up a finger. One of the monitors that was undamaged flickered to life, revealing Kovarians face. "Well, I have to say I'm impressed. I was assured that the MCA-23 could take care of you two. Obviously they were wrong. It did it's job well enough in slowing you down, plus the combat data received from it will be invaluable" she said in a smug tone. Samus started to move, as if to smash the monitor, but Jack mentally said "Wait for it" so she stopped. "You're too late Mr. Ripper. Far too late to catch me, just like last time. Enjoy your prize of an empty ship in the middle of nowhere" she continued. Jack however was unwrapping a hamburger. Where he had gotten it from, Samus couldn't tell. "And don't worry about us coming after Ms. Aran again, we have-" then she paused suddenly, stricken with fear. Blood started to drip from her mouth as she looked down in horror to see a grey claw sticking through her stomach. "Oh, don't worry. I know you won't be coming after Sam again. In fact, I don't think you'll be coming after anyone" said Jack as he munched on his burger. Samus watched, feeling satisfied, and even a bit impressed. While she would have liked to finish off Kovarian herself, the turn of events she had just witnessed was even better. "Check and mate. It was fun playing, but I win this game" said Jack as he finished off his burger. Then he stood up, and started to walk away. "Ro'on, make sure nothing remains" said Jack. From behind Kovarian, two large silver eyes glowed as he said "Very well" then a gleaming set of teeth appeared out of the shadows, and closed around Kovarian. There was a *crunch!* then the sound of bones snapping into pieces, then silence. "A fitting end, for a monster to be consumed by a monster" said Samus. "I thought so too. Well, everyone is dead, so I guess it's blow stuff up time" said Jack, as he held his finger over a button on a remote he was holding. "What about those missing soldiers we never found? Aren't they somewhere around here?" asked Samus, still slightly on edge. "Nah, they're dead. That mech we took out drained their energy for our fight. I guess Kovarian figured that they were already dead, so might as well use their corpses for something. It's something she would do" said Jack dismissively. "Well, there is a slight problem. I can't fit through the door" said Samus, and Jack sensed she felt rather sheepish. "Who needs doors?" said Jack, as he tapped a few buttons on his arm. Within seconds, a cardboard box appeared in the room with a rhythmic whoosh. "Again. Me. Large. Door. Small" said Samus, a little annoyed. "Just humor me" said Jack as he headed into the Tardis. As Samus approached it, she lowered her head to fit in, and walked forward. Oddly enough, she never bumped the sides of the doors. "You know what, I don't even care anymore, you do this stuff all the time, I should just expect you to break the laws of physics every chance you get" she said. "Well, yeah. I mean, technically, you guys are the ones with the wrong physics, but its okay" replied Jack. He went over to the console, and grabbed syringe with a blue liquid inside. Samus stood still as he injected it into her closest leg. Instantly she began to morph back into her old self, as her Chozo suit reformed to cover her. "Thanks for that. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to walk with four legs" said Samus. "Actually, I would" said Jack. He was in the process of hitting some buttons, when Ro'on walked through the doors, with splotches of blood soaked into his fur. "Don't worry, it's not mine" he said, casually walking by. "Didn't think it was" replied Jack. After hitting a few more buttons, he turned and opened up the doors, revealing the vast expanse of space, with a ship in the distance. Jack chucked the remote to Samus, saying "You do the honors." Without hesitation, she pressed the button and watched as a huge fireball spread across the emptiness. At long last, it was over. Everyone was dead, the research destroyed, and she had even picked up a few new tricks. "Now thats how I like things to end" said Jack, as he closed the doors


	8. No longer a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the first story that started everything

"So, what happens now?" asked Samus. "Look for yourself" said Jack as he stepped outside the Tardis. They were back in the lab, beneath the cabin. "I took the liberty of getting your ship here. Once you leave here, it'll take you back to your own time and place" said Jack. He walked up the stairs, and sat down in his chair by the fireplace. "And what about you?" asked Samus. Something had been eating away at her, in the back of her mind, and if this was the last time she would see Jack, she wanted to know something. "Me? I stay here, till the world ends. After that, I find another planet, build another cabin and just wait there till it ends. Over and over. Till eventually, everything ends. Hopefully that'll kill me, but I doubt it" said Jack, taking a swig from his flask. "Why? Why just sit here and do nothing? You've got so much power, think of all the good you could do with it, the people you could help. You could be the greatest hero in the universe" she said. "And think of all the people I would condemn! I don't save people, I slaughter them" yelled Jacck, his golden eyes glowing brightly. " I tried that whole "Hero" bullshit, and you know what happened?! Everyone died, every friend, every ally, everyone. I am responsible for ruining everything. It's only a matter of time until you find out. Well, you'll probably be dead by then, but you get the idea. I can't play the hero, because eventually, you get to the point where you are right and everyone is wrong. Thats why I don't do anything anymore. Yeah sure, people are gonna die, but thats what people do. I'm not a hero kid, just a remnant" he said, in a much quieter tone. His eyes darkened once again. "Then why did you even bother to help me? If you think "Fuck the world", then why did you go through so much trouble for one person?" retorted Samus. "Because I wanted to kill Kovarian. It just so happened that you got wrapped up in this. Nothing more, nothing less" said Jack taking another swig. "Bullshit. You were compelled to help because somewhere in your head you think you're wrong. And Ro'on will back me up" countered Samus. "That miserable fleabag, how did he hide that?" Jack said, feeling betrayed. "Because you refused to listen to me" said Ro'on. "I don't care if you do nothing, but if you go insane from loneliness and grief, I too will lose my mind. And that is something I cannot allow to happen" continued Ro'on. "There's still people you want dead" Jack said softly. "Correct" Ro'on replied. "Okay, that part I didn't know about, but anyways, you need to do something. I haven't been with you long, but even I can tell these past few weeks you've been happy, perhaps the happiest you've been in a long time. So get out, help someone, anyone" Samus said. It wasn't a plea, it was an order. "I-I can't. Sorry kiddo, but I can't do that. I can't be the hero anymore" Jack said sadly. "Then don't be a hero. Just be a warrior who fights for something. Find something worth fighting for, and fight till your last breath. Any objections Ripper?" she said, in a matter-of-fact tone. Jack was quiet for a long time. Samus began to think that she had pushed him too far, until finally Jack broke the silence by laughing hysterically. As he wiped tears from his eyes, he said "It's been too long since I met a kid with guts like yours! I'm older than most galaxies, and you still decided to give me a scolding. Clever wordplay too with the whole "hero" thing. But... you are mostly right." "But you still haven't said what you plan on doing" said Samus. Jack stood up slowly, and stared her directly into her eyes and said "Honestly, I don't really know. Might start from one end of the galaxy and work my way to the other end. Might stick around Earth, since its a hotspot of activity. You could come with me if you'd like, theres plenty of room in the Tardis, no matter which form you take" said Jack. "A tempting offer, but I think I will decline for now. Right now, I have my own time and galaxy to look after. Plus, I still need to learn how to work my Metroid form. Who knows, maybe in the future, I'll take you up on that offer" said Samus. From within an inner pocket of his jacket, Jack pulled out a pendant. it had a red gem in the center, set in the middle of a golden helix. He tossed it to Samus, who grabbed it out of the air. "If you're ever in trouble, touch the gem in the center. It'll activate a beacon, and I'll show up, no matter what" said Jack. "I'll hold you to that Jack" said Samus. "I know you will Sam" replied Jack. They both paused for a moment, before they each turned their backs to one another, and headed their separate ways. Once Jack got back into the Tardis, he threw a dagger at Ro'on, who caught it between his claws. "You will never pull that shit on me again, understand? I admit it was necessary, but NEVER do that again" growled Jack, letting his anger seep through their link. "I have no intention on doing so ever again. That was done out of desperation, and it was not easy" replied Ro'on. "Still, I don't like the idea of bringing back my old name. "Night Shade" has a lot of bad memories attached to it. We need a clean start" said Jack. "Who says we need a new name? Let's just keep the one we have now, and move forward. Night can remain dead. But Jack can move on" said Ro'on. "Yeah, good point. I kinda like the name Jack. Besides, it's not like I could come up with anything better" admitted Jack. As he looked around the room, he noticed a coat rack holding a large black cloak. He went over and grabbed it, then proceeded to fold it up. Then he went into the vault with the glass cases, and laid the folded cloak into a case that hadn't been there before. "I won't be needing that anymore. I won't hide again" he thought as he closed the case. As he left the room, he thought "Goodbye, Night Shade, the fallen Hero. And hello, Jack Ripper, the immortal Warrior"


End file.
